Car Craft's '71 Dodge Demon - Project Garage

We promised dumb summer fun when we went out looking for a new project car, and here is the payoff. This abandoned '71 Dodge Demon race car has the goodies like aluminum tubs, a four-link, and a full 'cage already installed. Our vision is to put it back on the street in Pro Street splendor without destroying too much of its gritty, back-halved, track-only influence.

2/14

Take it from us-now is the time to prowl the classifieds for economic detritus in the form of project cars. This series of build articles will cover all the steps needed to hunt, catch, and transform a forgotten car back to glory. To make sure you don't get stuck with a POS, we will include what to look for, what traps to avoid, and in CC tradition, we will publish our mistakes so you don't have to make them.

We scored this after Hot Rod Editor-In-Chief David Freiburger forwarded us a link from Craigslist. What seemed like 10 minutes later, we were standing in front of a guy who was in over his head and bailing for Florida. The asking price was $5,000, but we ended up trading it for a stroked small-block.

3/14

If you're a Chevy guy who is worried about too much Mopar edit (or the other way around), don't worry-we're going to put a motor plate in the thing so we can plug in our latest engine concoction. We don't care what the brand-just how much power it makes and whether we can get the TH400 to bolt up. This will be the place to learn about how to dial in a four-link with too many adjustment holes, how to install virtually any engine in any car, and what really happens when you put 1,000 hp down on the street.